Shape morphing fuselage for an aerocar

Abstract

A shape morphing fuselage and method of transitioning an aerocar from a land mode to a flight mode are disclosed. The fuselage includes a plurality of flexible frame members and tensile skin extending between the plurality of flexible frame members as well as an actuation system configured to bend the plurality of flexible frame members between a contracted configuration associated with a flight mode and an expanded configuration associated with a land mode. The fuselage can also include a hatch pivotable about an axis of one of the flexible frame members in the expanded configuration and configured to open for deployment and retraction of wings for the aerocar.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A fuselage for an aerocar, comprising:
 a plurality of flexible frame members extending along a length dimension of the fuselage; 
 tensile skin extending between the plurality of flexible frame members; and 
 a plurality of hydraulic struts coupled to respective flexible frame members and configured to translate in position to cause a translation in position of the plurality of flexible frame members, selectively bending the plurality of flexible frame members and modifying a cross-sectional area of the fuselage between a contracted configuration and an expanded configuration; 
 wherein the contracted configuration is associated with a flight mode and the expanded configuration is associated with a land mode. 
 
     
     
       2. The fuselage of  claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of flexible frame members defines a cross section tapering along its length dimension from a maximum at an end to a minimum at a tip. 
     
     
       3. The fuselage of  claim 1 , wherein the expanded configuration defines an interior space configured for storage of wings for the aerocar. 
     
     
       4. The fuselage of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a hatch pivotable about an axis of one of the flexible frame members in the expanded configuration and configured to open for deployment and retraction of a wing of the aerocar. 
 
     
     
       5. The fuselage of  claim 1 , wherein the tensile skin includes at least one of a stretchable material or a shape-memory material. 
     
     
       6. The fuselage of  claim 1 , wherein at least one hydraulic strut is configured to pivot at an anchor location. 
     
     
       7. A fuselage for an aerocar, comprising:
 a plurality of flexible frame members extending along a length dimension of the fuselage; 
 an actuation system configured to bend the plurality of flexible frame members between a contracted configuration associated with a flight mode and an expanded configuration associated with a land mode; and 
 a pair of hatches pivotable about an axis of one of the flexible frame members in the expanded configuration and configured to open for deployment and retraction of a pair of respective wings for the aerocar, 
 wherein the actuation system comprises a hydraulic strut coupled to each of the plurality of flexible frame members and configured to translate in position to cause a translation in position of the respective flexible frame members, selectively bending the plurality of flexible frame members and modifying a cross-sectional area of the fuselage between a contracted configuration and an expanded configuration. 
 
     
     
       8. The fuselage of  claim 7 , wherein each of the plurality of flexible frame members defines a cross section tapering from a maximum at an end to a minimum at a tip. 
     
     
       9. The fuselage of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 tensile skin extending between the plurality of flexible frame members. 
 
     
     
       10. The fuselage of  claim 9 , wherein the tensile skin includes at least one of a stretchable material or a shape-memory material. 
     
     
       11. The fuselage of  claim 7 , wherein the expanded configuration defines an interior space configured for storage of the wings for the aerocar. 
     
     
       12. The fuselage of  claim 7 , wherein at least one hydraulic strut is configured to pivot at an anchor location. 
     
     
       13. A method of transitioning a fuselage from a land mode to a flight mode, comprising:
 in the land mode, pivoting open a hatch in the fuselage about an axis of a flexible frame member extending along a length dimension of the fuselage; 
 deploying a wing through the hatch; 
 pivoting closed the hatch; and 
 bending, using a hydraulic strut coupled to the flexible frame member, the flexible frame member from an expanded configuration associated with the land mode to a contracted configuration associated with the flight mode, thereby transitioning a cross-sectional area of the fuselage from an expanded configuration to a contracted configuration. 
 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 13 , wherein the flexible frame member defines a cross section tapering from a maximum at an end to a minimum at a tip, and the step of bending the flexible frame member comprises bending an area of the flexible frame member adjacent the tip. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 13 , wherein the fuselage further includes a plurality of flexible frame members coupled to a plurality of respective hydraulic struts, and the method comprises bending each flexible frame member from an expanded configuration associated with the land mode to a contracted configuration associated with the flight mode. 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 13 , wherein bending the flexible frame member comprises using a hydraulic strut pivotally coupled to the flexible frame member.